Audit of clinical information and diagnoses supplied to the pathologist following biopsy of oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Abstract

Strict criteria for the biopsy of oral lesions suspected to be squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) are difficult to find. Evaluation of the patient's history and clinical findings should help the clinician to accurately diagnose oral cancer. Our study attempts to compare and correlate cases that have the histopathologic diagnosis of oral SCCA with the data submitted by the clinician to the oral pathologist. We find the more information the clinician lists in the biopsy request form, the more likely the correct clinical diagnosis of oral SCCA is. We also show that when risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol use are mentioned by the clinician, the percentage of correct clinical diagnosis is increased.